I answered the call. They said it was in regards to my computer. Nothing about a credit reduction ...

This number is being spoofed by Portfolio Recovery Services (Debt Collector) gathering

information to create an account with someone.

Received a call - did not answer.  No msg.

This number is being spoofed by Portfolio Recovery Services (Debt Collector) gathering information to create an account with someone.

Didn't answer it and it won't let me return the call.   Must be a real scam if they don't even want you to call back.

Would like this removed---so they don't call anymore!

Got the call - Wanted to get to take new credit card to "lower interest rate".  Jerks!

Same as everyone else. The caller repeated the call twice withing minutes of each other. No message left.

Calls to lower my credit card rate - repeated and anoying.

Received number on caller id - tried to call back from my cell and Verizon said it was a non-working number.  I too am on the national do not call registry, but will file a formal complaint about this number with the national do not call toll free number - don't know what more I can do at this point - very frustrating.

I have an Ooma VOIP - place number on "Blocked" list, and I will never hear from them again...

Yet another in a stream of law-violating calls, initiated with a recorded message from "Rachel at Cardholder Services"  who vaguely offers to lower your interest rates. Called party is offered to press a number (1, 9, it varies) to speak to a representative. Person who answers will dive into pitch. If you question them or ask to be taken of their calling list, they will hang up on you.

If you receive any of these calls, please report them to DoNotCall.gov (if you are a member of this list.)

Same as most of the other comments.  Are these complaint reports that we file at www.donotcall.gov doing any good at all??

your mistaking this SCAM for legitimate business.  CROOKS WILL NOT FOLLOW DO NOT CALL LAWS they are STEALING MONEY


They do not use LISTS at all - they use ILLEGAL robot dialers that dial every number in sequence - and although counter-productive to their scam - they do not stop calling those who tell them to stop and are not falling for their scam.   But then CROOKS are STUPID!


Truth about donotcall laws

Also remember that illegitimate companies and scam artists won't respect these lists.

Therefore once your enrollment goes into effect you should be extra careful of unsolicited telemarketing calls unless you know they come from a company with which you have a legitimate, established relationship





BBB, Schumer Warn Consumers of Robocalls Promising to Lower Their Credit Card Interest Rate
Arlington, VA ? June 10, 2009 - Consumers across the U.S. and Canada are sounding off to Better Business Bureau and U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) about incessant automated telemarketing calls promising to lower interest rates on their credit cards.  Not only are the calls a nuisance and violate U.S. and Canadian Do-Not-Call laws, but some companies behind the calls are ripping off consumers by charging large up-front fees to negotiate lower interest rates with credit card companies?something consumers can do on their own for free.
According to figures cited by the White House in January, credit-card debt increased 25 percent in the past 10 years, totaling $963 billion ? with per household credit card debt at nearly $9,000 now. Knowing that so many families are drowning in debt, telemarketers offering suspect financial assistance are taking full advantage of the situation. Consumers have reported receiving calls as early as three in the morning and on both their cell and home phones even when they have registered the numbers with federal Do-Not-Call lists. Consumers also tell BBB that, despite their requests to the telemarketers to stop calling, the calls continue to come.  
?Similar to telemarketing calls claiming your auto warranty is expiring, calls offering to lower credit card interest rates also seem to have complete disregard for federal laws,? said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. ?These telemarketers are not forthcoming about the company they?re calling on behalf of, but BBB has identified some offenders by working with consumers who, unfortunately, paid for assistance in reducing their interest rate.?
?Cell phone spam may not be the biggest problem we have to deal with, but we got the FTC to shut down the car-warranty robocalls and now it?s time they shut down the other robocallers as well,? Schumer said. ?These calls cost consumers hundreds in wasted cell phone minutes or much, much more if they get caught in the trap being laid by these unscrupulous companies. The perpetrators behind the credit card interest rate calls have also found a way around the Do Not Call List. The FTC has to track them down and then shut them down to put an end to this nuisance once and for all.?

BBB has received numerous complaints about two Orlando-based companies, CSTR Solutions, Inc. and Genesis Capital Management, and one Tacoma-based company, Mutual Consolidated Savings. All are behind at least some of the robocalls and are promising to save people anywhere from $2,000 to $25,000 by negotiating lower interest rates with credit card companies.
Robocalls generally begin with recorded messages that include statements like: ?There are no problems currently with your account, however it is urgent that you contact us concerning your eligibility for lowering your interest rates to as little as 6 point 9 per cent.? or, ?This is our final attempt to reach you since you've not responded to our other calls to discuss your credit card debt.? The automated message invariably does not include the name of the company, but may claim to be with Card Services or Card Holder Services. Complainants note to BBB that they now believe the calls were designed to deceive them into thinking their credit card company was contacting them.
After the initial recorded message, consumers must dial another number to be connected to a live person. The live ?operator? usually starts the sales pitch by asking for the consumer?s credit card number and whether the consumer is interested in lowering their interest rates. From there, callers begin closing the sale, asking if the consumer is willing to pay ? usually from $700 to $1,000 - to have their firm contact the credit card company and negotiate lower rates.  
?The ?negotiation? undertaken by these companies can be as simple as calling the customer service number listed on the back of the consumer?s credit card and asking a customer service representative to lower the interest rate,? added Cox. ?Consumers are fully capable of talking to credit card companies on their own, for free, and getting similar results. Consumers simply don?t need to pay any company a thousand dollars to negotiate lower rates on their behalf.?
According to BBB complaints, companies are failing to uphold money-back guarantees and not refunding money in cases where they are unsuccessful in lowering rates.
BBB offers the following advice for consumers who receive robocalls from companies offering to lower their interest rate:
? Never give personal information, including Social Security, bank or credit card numbers, over the phone to an unknown telemarketer. Always research the company first by reviewing its Reliability Report at www.bbb.org.
? When considering any company offering any type of financial assistance, insist on getting a contract in which all terms and conditions are clearly explained before signing up or providing credit card or other payment information.
? U.S. consumers can place their home phone number on the federal Do Not Call list by visiting www.donotcall.gov. If the consumer?s number is already on the list but continues to receive telemarketing calls?or is receiving robocalls on a cell phone?he or she can use the same Web site to report the incident to the FTC. Canadian consumers can learn more at www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca.
For more information or to schedule an interview with a BBB spokesperson, contact Alison Southwick at 703-247-9376.


Credit Card Rate Reduction Scammers Banned From Telemarketing
Canadian firm ordered to pay $7.8 million fine


July 13, 2009
A federal judge has slapped a telemarketing ban on a Canadian outfit that targeted U.S. consumers with false claims that it could reduce their credit card interest rates.
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the court entered a permanent injunction that puts the defendants out of the telemarketing business. It also bars them from misrepresenting that they are affiliated with consumers' credit card companies, or that they can get consumers' credit card interest rates reduced.
The court also ordered the defendants to pay more than $7.8 million.
According to the FTC's complaint, the telemarketing operation cheated about 12,000 consumers out of more than $7.8 million between 2005 and 2007 by falsely claiming that it could substantially reduce consumers' existing credit card interest rates and save them thousands of dollars in interest and finance charges.
The defendants are Select Personnel Management Inc., based in Ontario, doing business as Select Management Solutions Canada; 1402473 Ontario Limited; 1489841 Ontario Limited; 2105635 Ontario Limited; Special T Services Group Inc.; United Registration Services Inc., as well as individual defendants James Stewart, Luigi Paulozza, and Philip J. Richards.
The FTC charges that they stated or implied--falsely--that they were affiliated with consumers' credit card companies. For $675 plus $20 for shipping and handling, according to the complaint, the defendants sent consumers promotional materials with promises to substantially reduce their interest rates, and a "financial profile form" for them to complete and mail back.
The complaint states the defendants promised to reduce the interest charged on credit cards to rates between 4.75 percent and 9 percent, save consumers at least $2,500, and refund the cost of their services to consumers who did not save at least that much money.
In fact, according to the FTC, the operators of the scam did little more than add their own fee to consumers' credit card balances. The extent of the rate-reduction services consisted of setting up three-way telephone calls with consumers and their credit card companies, and asking that the companies lower the interest rates. Those requests typically were denied.
The FTC said the defendants' misrepresentations violated the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR). The agency also charged the defendants with violating the TSR by "spoofing" telephone numbers so that their calls appeared on consumers' caller identification services as coming from another number, and by failing to provide the names of the defendants or their telemarketer on caller identification services.



http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/07 ... am.html#ixzz0LA


FTC Goes After Credit Card Robocall Scammers
Offers of interest-rate reduction claims targeted


December 11, 2009


The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is widening its campaign against telemarketers who violated the Do Not Call Rule and other laws by making hundreds of thousands or even millions of recorded robocalls to consumers.
This latest effort targets three groups that allegedly made robocalls to sell worthless credit-card interest-rate reduction programs for hefty up-front fees of as much as $1,495. The court has issued an order temporarily halting the robocalls pending trial.
"The FTC has heard the public outcry against robocalls and has taken swift action to stop them. During these difficult economic times, the last thing anyone needs is to be bombarded by robocalls pitching worthless interest-rate reduction programs," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz.
The three complaints follow two filed in May that led to court orders stopping other telemarketers from using robocalls with deceptive claims aboutextended auto warranties. Since September 1, 2009, virtually all robocalls have been illegal, unless the recipients have provided written authorization to receive the pre-recorded calls.
According to the three FTC complaints, Economic Relief Technologies, LLC, Dynamic Financial Group (U.S.A.) Inc., and JPM Accelerated Services (JPM) and related defendants made illegal pre-recorded robocalls to consumers, using names like "card services," "credit card services" or "account services."
The robocalls allegedly claimed the companies' services could lower the interest rate on consumers' credit cards. In each case, consumers who pressed 1 after hearing the automated call were transferred to live telemarketers who allegedly misrepresented that consumers could dramatically lower the rates on their credit card.
The telemarketers also said consumers would save thousands of dollars in a short period of time by lowering their interest rates and would be able to pay off their debts faster -- for an up-front fee ranging from $495 to $1,495. They then falsely stated that if consumers did not save a "guaranteed" amount -- typically $2,500 or more -- they could get a full refund of the up-front fee.
However, after securing the fee, the defendants allegedly did not negotiate lower rates on behalf of consumers and provided few refunds to those who were dissatisfied with the service.
Economic Relief Technologies also allegedly operated a related scam: using names like "Auto Protection Center" and "Warranty Services," they tricked consumers into believing they were affiliated with their vehicle manufacturer or dealership, and falsely claimed that the consumers' vehicles' warranties were about to expire. The scheme is similar to several stopped by a court order at the FTC's request earlier this year.
The lawsuits claim the companies broke the law by making illegal robocalls to consumers and that their deceptive sales pitches violated the FTC Act and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule.
Additional charges include:
? Calling consumers whose phone numbers are on the National Do Not Call Registry.
? Calling consumers who had previously asked not to be called.
? Failing to transmit their caller ID information, as required.
? "Spoofing" or masking their caller ID information.
? Failing to promptly identify themselves, the purpose of their call, and/or the nature of the goods or services they were selling.
? Improperly abandoning calls.
? Failing to make required disclosures in their robocalls.
To help consumers and businesses understand their rights and responsibilities when it comes to pre-recorded telemarketing calls, the FTC issued two new alerts, "New Rules for Robocalls" and "Reining in Robocalls."
Separately, the FTC has issued a new publication, the National Do Not Call Registry Data Book for Fiscal Year 2009, which contains information about the Registry, along with a breakdown of consumer complaints about companies violating the Do Not Call rules. According to the Data Book, there are more than 191 million numbers on the Do Not Call Registry.




Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/12 ... l#ixzz0ZNtsuqK0




Companies Sued For Credit Card Interest Rate Scheme
Consumers warned about telemarketers' claims of immediate savings


James Limbach
ConsumerAffairs.com
November 10, 2009
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed suit targeting a telemarketing scam that promises to reduce consumers' credit card interest rates immediately, but ultimately fails to achieve any savings for consumers.
"During these difficult economic times, consumers are understandably looking for ways to ease the burdens of rising debt," Madigan said. "But I urge consumers to be wary when solicitors try to make tempting claims of 'immediate' savings. In such cases, the schemers rarely deliver and usually leave consumers in an even worse financial situation than before."
Madigan filed suit against Priority Direct Marketing International, Inc. (PDMI), a Bedford, Texas-based telemarketing firm run by its President, William Fithian, and Advanced Management Services NW, LLC (AMS), a Spokane, Wash.-based firm owned by Ryan Bishop.
The suit claims that the two companies work in a concerted telemarketing scheme to solicit and enroll consumers in deceptive debt negotiation service agreements that promise to immediately reduce consumers' credit card interest rates, with a guaranteed savings of $2,500.
PDMI and AMS telemarketing representatives allegedly promise consumers that the companies will negotiate with consumers' credit card companies to lower interest rates, and will provide full refunds if they are unsuccessful.
After consumers agree to enroll in the program, the telemarketing schemers allegedly charge consumers' credit cards for set up fees ranging from $391 up to $1,590, the suit contends. The defendants allegedly tell consumers that these fees will be reimbursed at a later date by the consumers' banks. Only after consumers' credit cards are charged for the setup fees do they receive any documentation on the program's terms and conditions, which on several points, contradict the telemarketers claims in their sales solicitations.
Specifically, PDMI and AMS misleadingly claim that they can guarantee an interest rate reduction for all customers or provide full refunds in instances where rate reductions are not secured. When customers have requested refunds, after the defendants have failed to negotiate any interest rate reductions, the defendants allegedly refuse altogether or give refunds minus a non-refundable $199 fee that was not disclosed during the sales pitch.
Madigan's lawsuit charges the defendants with violating the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act by misrepresenting the services they provide to consumers and the effects the services will have on consumers' credit.
The suit asks the court to enter a permanent injunction barring the defendants from engaging in debt settlement in Illinois and to order the defendants to pay restitution for complainants, civil penalties of $50,000 for violating the Consumer Fraud Act, and an additional $50,000 for each violation committed with the intent to defraud.
Madigan advises consumers looking for legitimate financial assistance to consider credit counseling services that charge modest fees and provide true financial and budget counseling based on a consumer's personal circumstances.

FTC Warns Against Interest Rate Reduction Scams
Agency cites a wave of 'robocallers' pitching scheme to consumers


April 26,2010



You pick up the phone on the second ring and wait for what seems like several seconds before someone responds to your greeting. But you find you aren't talking to a human, but a recorded sales pitch promising to lower your credit card interest rate.
The best advice, says the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is to just hang up, saying most of these offers are scams. And consumers are being inundated with them, according to the FTC.
In a new consumer alert, Credit Card Interest Rate Reduction Scams, the FTC says consumers have just as much clout with their credit card issuers as these companies do. It urges consumers to avoid paying middlemen, and negotiate directly with the credit card companies.
The companies behind the sales pitches claim to have special relationships with credit card issuers. They guarantee that the reduced rates they offer will save you thousands of dollars in interest and finance charges, and will allow you to pay off your credit card debt three to five times faster. They claim that the lower interest rates are available for a limited time and that you need to act now. Some even use money-back guarantees as further enticement.
The FTC says the companies behind these robocalls can't do anything for you that you can't do for yourself -- for free. You have just as much clout with your credit card issuer as these companies, and you are just as likely to get turned down for a rate reduction regardless of their promises or supposed efforts to negotiate on your behalf. Indeed, FTC investigators found that people who pay for these services don't get the touted interest rate reductions, don't save the promised amounts, don't pay off their credit card debt three to five times faster, and struggle to get refunds.
Protect Yourself
The FTC says that if you're looking to reduce the interest rate you're paying on your credit card purchases, your best bet is to handle it yourself for free: call the customer service phone number on the back of your credit card and ask for a reduced rate. Be calm, patient and persistent. And if you are tempted by the promises in a rate reduction robocall, the FTC says hold off -- and hang up.
? Don't give out your credit card information. Once scammers have your data, they can charge your credit card for their own purchases or sell the information to other scammers.
? Don't share other personal financial or sensitive information like your bank account or Social Security numbers. Scam artists often ask for this information during an unsolicited sales pitch, and then use it to commit other frauds against you.
? Be skeptical of any unsolicited sales calls that are recorded, especially if your phone number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. You shouldn't get recorded sales pitches unless you have specifically agreed to accept such calls, with a few exceptions. See New Rules for Robocalls.
? If your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry, a telemarketer may call you only if you have agreed to accept calls from the company the salesperson works for, if you have bought something from the company within the last 18 months, or if you have asked the company for information within the last three months.
? To report violations of the National Do Not Call Registry or to register your phone number, visit DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222.

Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/04 ... l#ixzz0mIt4vfwu




FTC 1, Robocalls 0
(Monday, May 24, 2010)
At FTC?s Request, Court Stops Deceptive Telemarketing Calls Pitching Credit Card Interest Rate Reduction
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal judge has put a stop to three companies? allegedly deceptive telemarketing calls, including robocalls, that promised to reduce consumers? credit card interest rates; frozen their assets; and appointed a receiver to take control of the business.
According to the FTC?s complaint, over the past two years, the defendants made or authorized calls to consumers nationwide, claiming that they could negotiate with credit card issuers to substantially lower the interest rates on the consumers? credit cards. They also allegedly delivered prerecorded ?robocalls? that consisted of urgent-sounding messages from ?Card Services? or ?Financial Services,? stating that consumers needed to ?press one? to speak to a representative about their credit card interest rates. Many consumers believed the calls were from their credit card issuers.
Consumers who signed up for the defendants? services were charged from $499 to $1,590 up-front and promised their money back if the callers failed to deliver at least $2,500 in interest rate savings, the FTC alleged. Instead of arranging reduced interest rates, the complaint states, the defendants sent consumers instructions to pay down their credit card debts early, thus saving money on interest. Consumers who complained and demanded refunds allegedly were denied outright, got the run-around, or had a $199 ?nonrefundable fee? deducted from their refund.
?The last thing debt-ridden consumers need is to be deluged by illegal robocalls ? especially when all the calls are offering is a scam,? said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz.
The FTC?s complaint alleged that AMS, Rapid Reduction, PDMI, and their owners violated the FTC Act and the Do Not Call and other provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule by:
?    deceptively promising consumers they could reduce their credit card interest rates;
?    misleading consumers about their refund policies;
?    illegally calling numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry;
?    failing to honor consumers? requests not to be called again; and
?    making pre-recorded telemarketing calls to consumers without their express written consent. Nearly all such calls have been illegal since September 1, 2009 (see press release at: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/08/robocalls.shtm).
U.S. District Judge Lonny Suko has issued an order appointing two receivers to take over the businesses, and freezing the assets of Advanced Management Services NW LLC, doing business as AMS Financial, Rapid Reduction System?s [sic] LLC, and their principals Ryan Bishop and Michael Rohlf, all of Spokane, Washington, and PDM International, Inc., doing business as Priority Direct Marketing International, Inc. (PDMI) of Bedford, Texas, and its principal William Fithian, of Colleyville, Texas.
The FTC vote approving the complaint was 5-0. It was filed under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington on May 10, 2010. The court granted an order temporarily barring the alleged conduct on May 10, 2010. The seal was lifted on May 11, 2010, the day the Commission served the temporary restraining order.
The FTC acknowledges the assistance of Better Business Bureau of Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Montana, and the BBB of Fort Worth, Texas, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Bedford, Texas, Police Department; and the attorneys general of Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Washington, and West Virginia. The FTC also acknowledges that the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Secret Service are conducting a separate but parallel criminal investigation and that they executed search warrants on one business and one individual?s home when the FTC served the temporary restraining order.
NOTE: The Commission issues a complaint when it has ?reason to believe? that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The issuance of a complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendant has violated the law.
Copies of the stipulated final order are available from the FTC?s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC?s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click: http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mitchell J. Katz
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2161
STAFF CONTACT:
Mary T. Benfield
FTC Northwest Region, Seattle
202-326-4472

Credit Card Services, want to reduce your rates.  HURRY respond today.  Talked to rep, told her I was on do not call list, and she hung up.

Think the DO NOT CALL list is a joke.

Got call saying it was "Rachel" with offers to reduce my credit card interest rates. "Press 9" Waited for a person who said, "Can I verify your name please?" to which I said, "this call is illegal" and they hung up on me. Reported it to the FCC.

Same as everyone else--caller ID said "New York"--let it go until machine picked up.  Caller hung up.

answered call, they said they were trying to reduce % on debts..said there wa a name associated wit my count, te name tey gave is a very familiar name to me, it is a person I am always getting mail and nasty calls about. Have tried for years to have ait all stop, met with neg results..I think this is some kind of collection company, trying to be slick

Wish I could block all these weird numbers all 800 ect should be against the law

I just got a call from this number and I answered and nobody was there. I called back and got like a fax sound. No idea what it is.

I'm getting 2 to 3 calls a day from this number (646-000-2878, "Out of Area").  Like one of the other posts says, being on the "Do Not Call" List is meaningless, as I get at least 5 or 6 calls EACH DAY from various #s that are selling something....  Very frustrating

SAME EXPERIENCE.  I am on the do not call list, which has been ineffective for more  than a year.
Caller ID states:  UNKNOWN NAME. I did not answer.  They did not leave a message. This number has called before in late evening.  Possibly seeing if someone is home.  This could be a stalker or a burgler.
When I do tell callers that I am on the do not call list they say it does not matter any more as this government does not follow up on complaints.

calls and does not leave message. reverse lookup ineffective.

Got a call from this number.  I picked up but no one replied.  Totally weird!

Number was on caller ID.  Name said 'New York'.  No message on the answering machine.

Same as everyone else.  Received a call from this number.  Did not answer it.  No message left.

Had this number on caller ID when I got home.  No message left.  Just reporting it.

Have caller ID.  I never answer when caller's name is "Unavailable."  Tried Reverse phone # and it said "Not a valid number."  Googled the number and this popped up.  So, just reporting another incidence.